Related Master's Degrees
The following is a comparison of degree programs offered at the iSchool and elsewhere at the University of Washington.
(Jump to information about the HCDE, MSIS and MSDS programs.)
| Degree earned | Master of Science in Information Management (MSIM) | Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) | Master of Human-Computer Interaction + Design (MHCI+D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Career impact | |||
| Common job titles | • Analyst: Business Intelligence, Data, Operations | • Archivist | • User Experience Designer/ Researcher/ Manager |
| Focus | • Information and information technologies management and emerging trends in technology | • Core areas of strength in digital youth, knowledge organization, information services, data science, and user experience | • Design of interactive computing technologies |
| Capstone or thesis project | Early-Career: | • Capstone project | • Team-based project offers opportunity to work with outside sponsors |
| Internship | • Recommended | • Directed Fieldwork recommended (can be taken for elective credit) | NA |
| Courses | MSIM | MLIS | MHCI+D |
| Curriculum | • Core courses plus specializations in:
• Culminates in Capstone project or Experiential Learning (dependent on choice of MSIM program track) | • Core courses are foundational and theory-based | • Prescribed sequence of core courses |
| Instructional style | • Lectures, seminar discussions, projects, case studies, studio and technology lab work where applicable | • Lectures and project-based courses | • Design studio, lectures, individual, and group projects |
| Course scheduling | • Early-Career Residential: core, weekdays; electives offered weekdays, evenings, Saturday mornings | • Primarily daytime and online asynchronous | • Primarily daytime |
| Time and money | MSIM | MLIS | MHCI+D |
| Duration | • Early-Career: 6 quarters | • Residential: 2 years | • 4 quarters, full-time, immersive experience |
| Option for full-time work while in school | • Yes, though full-time study is recommended for Early-Career and Early-Career Accelerated Residential | • Residential: No | • No |
| Application deadline | • Residential modes: Incremental deadlines. All offers of admission are for Autumn quarter only. | • Round 1: Dec. 1 |
• Jan. 15
All offers of admission are for Autumn quarter only.
|
| Number of students enrolled annually | • Early-Career Residential: 75-80 | • Residential and Law: 70-75 | • 30-40 |
| Required number of credits | • Early-Career: 65 | • Residential: 63 | • 46 |
| Approximate total tuition (subject to change and total credits taken) | • Early-Career: $76,505 | • $62,372 | • $61,732 |
| Financial aid, Funding and Assistantships | • All applicants are considered for a limited number of iSchool merit-based scholarships. | • All applicants are considered for a limited number of iSchool merit-based scholarships. | • Occasionally tuition may be reduced through fellowships and teaching/research assistantships, offered by individual departments based on merit. |
| International Students on F-1 visas | • F-1 visas provided to residential students only | • F-1 visas provided to residential students only | • F-1 visas provided to residential students only |
| Degree earned | Master of Science in Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) | Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) | Master of Science in Data Science (MSDS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Career impact | |||
| Common job titles |
• User Experience Designer/ Researcher/ Manager | • Product Manager | • Business Analyst |
| Focus | • User-centered research and design | • Management of information technologies to solve complex business problems and take advantage of new business opportunities. Students are equipped with broad technical skills to be at the forefront of technological innovation. | • Interdisciplinary approach to manipulating large data sets, analyzing data, and communicating the results to a variety of stakeholders. |
| Capstone or thesis project | • Capstone project | NA | • Two-course capstone project |
| Internship | • Elective | NA | • Optional |
| Courses | HCDE | MSIS | MSDS |
| Curriculum | • Individualized program
• Culminates in a Capstone project | • Lockstep curriculum | • Core courses, partially sequenced |
| Instructional style | • Project-based, lecture, and studio courses | • Lecture, case study, and project based classes | • World-class interdisciplinary expertise from 6 UW departments |
| Course scheduling | • Each course meets one night/week | • Monday and Wednesday evening and Saturday daytime | • Evenings |
| Time and money | HCDE | MSIS | MSDS |
| Duration | • Self-paced, 2-3 academic years | • 12 months | • Full-time: 1.5 years |
| Option for full-time work while in school | • Yes | • Yes | • Yes |
| Application deadline | • January | • Feb. 1 | • January |
| Number of students enrolled annually | • 120 | • Up to 90 | • 60-65 |
| Required number of credits | • 50 | • 44 | • 45 |
| Approximate total tuition (subject to change and total credits taken) | • $49,900 | • Washington Residents: $44,628 | • $53,325 |
| Financial aid, Funding and Assistantships | • Occasionally tuition may be reduced through teaching/research assistantships, which are offered by individual departments based on merit. | • Occasionally tuition may be reduced through fellowships and teaching/research assistantships, which are offered by individual departments based on merit. TA/RA not currently available in MSIS department. | • Partial scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis. |
| International Students on F-1 visas | • F-1 visas provided to residential students only | • F-1 visas provided to residential students only | • F-1 visas provided to residential students only |